An Unusual Directive

May 18

Hosea, a minor prophet, was given an unusual directive by the Lord. This good man was told to marry a prostitute and he was told to love her no matter how she responded to his kindness and affection. He married Gomer, and she bore him children, but her previous life beckoned her and she returned to being a ‘lady of the evening.’

The allure of sin pulled her back although she was spoken to by her husband only in tender terms of endearment. In Hosea 2:19, 20, for example, he said to her, “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and in compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord.”

It is apparent that Hosea’s desire is to lavish his wife in the good things of God and that it is his intention to hold her fast to himself forever. He is not looking for a way of escape from this unusual union between a righteous man of God and a woman of the night; in fact, it is his stated desire that she know the Lord he loves and serves.

This is a very poignant picture of the love of God for His people. He desires above all else, that man turn to Him and receive the precious gift of salvation He holds out. He desires that the clearly demonstrated love of Christ compel every fallen member of humankind to receive His love and lay his sins at the cross. Will he? Will you?